The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-07-08
Yesterday.

L ookSh 3@Ia
Yesterday was spent by the differen
companies in settling down to camp life
and getting their tents in order, Tn,
! regular routine of camp duties did no
begin until after supper last evening
The first exercise to be participated il
by all the troops was dress parade, which
occurred at $40 o'clock last evening. II
was more than usually accurate for the
first day, and was encouraging to the of
ficers. Several of the men were over.
come by the heat, and were obliged to
fall out during the review that followed
the parade.
A Welcome.
At the close of the parade Lieut-C Col.
Mead introduced Mayor Pau, who ex-
tended welcome to the soldiers on be-
half of the citizens of Mankato.
To COI BObleter and Mem and officers Of the 2ad
| Regiment, NJ N. g.!
On behalf of Mankato ! extend TO you
a hearty welcome to our city, and we
feel gratified that on this sixth annual
encampment of your regiment you have
i 6clcCtCu uo db ShO hOA0 Vi yOut OpCId~
tons. You are upon historic ground.
The savage Sioux who sought our harm
will never forget the place until his sun
shall have forever sunk beneath the
waters of the West.
The manly and soldierly bearing of
your men speaks volumes for your gal
liant Col. and for all your officers, and is
credit to themselves. This encamp-
ment is not an excursion, undertaken
by you for selfish pleasure, but is part
of the duty imposed upon you as soldiers
of the state; you are here to learn some
thing of the work of soldiers life while
in the field, and these duties you have
voluntarily assumed. Most Of the civil
lied nations of the earth, indeed, most
nations, have at the expense of their
government large bodies of troops kept
in readiness for the emergencies Of war,
entailing upon the people a burden
made necessary, in part, by their sys-
tenn of government, their motto being
in its broadcast sense, Gin time of peace
prepare for war" and it will be seen
that the more despotic the form of gov
eminent the more nearly is this idea
followed.
We are practically free from this out
lay, for our system is, we claim, the
most perfect government of the people
| by the people known to the civilized
| world, or of which we may have any re-
cord. Hence we deem it needless to
keep a standing army, except such as is
necessary to do what may be called the
ordinary police duties of the country,
and thereby We relieve the people of q
large tax which would otherwise be ne
cessary, and which they would have to
pay in one form or another.
But, that Tin time of peace you should
prepare for war" is in a measure never
theless true, and a wise people will heed
the maxim. This applies to us as well
as to all other nations who would per-
petuate their constitution, laws and ex-
istence, and never was it more sorely
felt by this government than in the dark
days when commenced the War of the
Rebellion, that we had not sufficiently
needed this matter. When the call was
made for volunteers, millions were
ready to respond; and were the call
again made necessary either by foreign
invasion or by some traitor to the his
tory and traditions of his country, there
would again be millions to rise in her
defense, who would give their
fortunes and lives to sustain the integri-
ty of the flag under which yeu so proud
ly march and under which we all feel it
an honor to live.
What, however, was our situation then
and what would 1t be again in such an
emergency? No standing army; no vol
unteers but raw recruits who know moth
ing of the simplest duties Of a soldier.
Against the trained soldiers of a foreign
land it would be pitting our patriotism
against their discipline, and while pre-
dict that this patriotism which gave our
nation birth and has ever since upheld
her honor would surmount every diff
Guilty and bring the old Ship of State
safely through all peril, it would be at the
great cost of the best blood of our land,
did we give no heed to this adage, "In
time of peace prepare for war" You
will understand that do not train with
that class of croakers who predict for US
an early demise as nation, and see
signs in every disturbance of the end to
come; no, I believe that on that glorious
Fourth of July 1776, when the members
of congress of the united colonies duly
assembled declared for a free country
and then for free government, they
made declaration which was predes-
tined to remain until the last of enlight-
ened humanity should sink into the
grave; that they did work which was
to benefit not only themselves and their
posterity but to be and remain for the
good of the universe. And so soon as
the principles from which it emanated
are understood by people, then must
despotism and tyranny fall, and tits now
fast doing its work.
You, standing here before me, con-
firm me in this belief. You are not con-
scripts forced into the ranks by the de-
crees of q government which the tradi-
tons of your forefathers alone impel you
| l. i e., ,s,aL. h., - H.
as much fear as love. You are willing
volunteers taking upon yourselves the
burdens and inconvenience of military
discipline, because the love of liberty is
deeply planted in your breasts, because
you love the country and be to the
manor born as it were, or the adopted
children of the land; you love Columbia
because of Columbia's worth. You are
soldiers of the State of Minnesota, but
you would be the soldiers of the United
States as well did she need your service,
yes, you and as have said before, mill
lions more.
We are proud of our guards. The
bracing air of our beloved state is well
calculated to make soldiers of you. A
soldier must be brave, generous and
true, and active both in body and mind,
if he wishes to be successin his profess
sion.
The honors which Company d of the
First Reg't of the National Guards of
Minnesota carried away at the COMPETE
tive drill at our national capitol fills the
heart of every Minnesotian with pride.
They did tbs work, but we share the
glory with them.
Then see Stocker of New Ulm standing
at the head of the Naval Academy this
year with another Minnesota boy, whose
name ] cannot now recall, close sec
ond. This means something. It is not
simple chance. It means that you
young men raised in the invigorating air
of the North Star State, beneath heI
glorious, bright blue skies, among hel
loyal liberty loving people, are blessed
beyond the ordinary lot of youth
Though yours is comparatively new
state, and you live on the wide prairie
surrounded by the wilderness, the mind
and intellect is there able to grasp the
problem, of either on land or sea.
. Many of you are young soldiers. YoT
have around and among you those who
in the hour of peril left their avocations
their homes and firesides, their families
and friends to do battle for their coun
try,s cause. Many of them like yor
then in the bloom of youth. / say some
of them are here around and amongyou
yet many thrt went, on the field Of bat
tie, far from their beloved at home
heard that last trumpet note which
summoned them to pitch their tents OF
the further shore of the great Rive
Z which separates the living from the dead
d Others are here, men OF middle age, o
rapidly passing along the downward
path of lifej they have upon them tn
marks and scars of war. They hav
stood where the bombs have burst with